Series Mania Forum announces korea as its first country of honour
PARIS & LILLE, FRANCE – February 3, 2026 – Celebrating over a decade of unparalleled contributions to the global content development landscape, Laurence Herszberg, Founder and General Director of Series Mania (Festival: March 20-27, 2026), announced today that the Series Mania Forum (Forum: March 24-26, 2026) has selected the Republic of Korea as its first Country of Honour.
As such, KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency), a government organization that oversees and coordinates the promotion of the Korean content industry, along with eight additional Korean companies will be attending this year’s Series Mania Forum. The eight participating companies include: Channel A Corporation, CJ ENM, EO Content Group, KBS Media, MBC(Munhwa Broadcasting Corp.), SLL Joongang, Studio S, WHYNOT MEDIA.
An initiative supported by the CNC
This new Country of Honour initiative has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the CNC and its president, Gaëtan Bruel. KOCCA and the CNC signed a Memorandum of Understanding during Series Mania 2024 in which they announced plans to promote exchanges between Korea and France and to lay the foundation for the growth of the content industry between the two countries.
A Korean program at the heart of the Forum
As part of this new initiative, there will be a Coming Next from Korea session, prestigious speakers from the country in conferences panels, a networking cocktail, and other highlights during the event not to be missed.
A symbolic year for Franco-Korean relations
The selection of Korea as the Country of Honour coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea (1886 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation). It also dovetails closely with last year’s BroadCast Worldwide (BCWW), Asia’s largest marketing event for broadcast video content, which honored France during its 25th edition in Seoul.
The growing influence of Korean content
As of 2024, the size of the Korean content market was estimated at USD 43.169 billion, representing a 5.7% increase from USD 40.849 billion in 2023. Korea continues to rank 8th globally in terms of content market size. The popularity of K-content in France is also rapidly expanding not only through OTT platforms such as Netflix but also via traditional French broadcast channels. According to viewership data released by Netflix,
viewing time for Korean content in France increased by more than 200% year-on-year.
“This will be the first time we have highlighted a country at our event, and we are thrilled that it is Korea, whose excellence and creativity in film and audiovisual production are widely recognized. This celebration is especially meaningful as it coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea. Both countries have rich histories and cultures, united by mutual fascination and a shared commitment to strengthening ties in an increasingly globalized world,” said Herszberg.
Moonju KIM, General Director of KOCCA France, said: “It is a great honor for Korea to be invited as the Country of Honour at Series Mania Forum in France. Through globally recognized Korean series such as Squid Game and Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, the Korea Creative Content Agency has contributed to the growing resonance of Korean storytelling and creative excellence worldwide. We hope that Series Mania, as one of the world’s leading platforms for series content, will further deepen mutual understanding and foster sustainable cooperation, including co-production and investment, between Korea and France. We extend our deepest appreciation to CNC, Series Mania, and all French industry partners for their invaluable support and commitment to strengthening cultural and industrial exchange between our two countries.”
About KOCCA
The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) is a Korean government agency that serves as the central organization for promoting the content industry, supporting production across major genres(broadcasting, games, animation, manhwa and webtoons, characters, music, fashion, and technology-driven content) and organizing domestic and international events to help Korean content companies expand into global markets.
About Series Mania
Based in Lille since 2018, Series Mania – Lille / Hauts-de-France has become the biggest event dedicated uniquely to television series in Europe. Its festival offers exclusive world premieres of the greatest international series on the big screen, giving its audience – over 108,000 spectators – 7 days of discoveries, parties, and
masterclasses with some of the most renowned personalities in the series world. At the same time, Series Mania welcomes 5,000 professionals from over 75 countries, 84 exhibitors, 25 international delegations at Series Mania Forum including the anticipated Lille Dialogues summit.
Two key events for networking and business are now extended online with the creation in 2020 of Series Mania Digital. In 2021, Series Mania launched Series Mania Institute, a training program for students and industry professionals. The association is thus extending its action to support the creation of series in Europe.
CONTACTS PRESSE
MORRIS MARKETING
Sheila MORRIS – 818-487-9300 – [email protected]
Danielle COTTON – 615-554-8671 – [email protected]
USA MIAM – France & INTERNATIONAL
Claire VORGER – 06 20 10 40 56 – claire.vorger@abenzerga
Blanche Aurore DUAULT – 06 29 97 88 89
Danielle COTTON – 615-554-8671
Nathalie iUND – 06 10 96 30 08
Michael MORLON – 06 60 45 65 69 – [email protected]